Combined friction lighting match and writing pencil



March 30, 1965 N. J. WATERBURY 3,175,685

CQMBINED FRICTION LIGHTING MATCH AND WRITING PENCIL Filed July 3, 1963 3157.5... Fig.4.

LAYER OF GRAPH, rE PHOSPHORUS United States Patent M 3,175,685 COMBINED FRICTION FIGHTING MATtIH AND WRITING PENCHJ Nelson J. Waterbury, New York, N.Y., assignor, by direct and theme assignments, of ten percent to Louis Beck, Nassau County, N.Y., and five percent to Wm. S. Green and twenty-five percent to Howard Hirshberg, both of Manchester, NH.

Filed July 3, 1963, Ser. No. 292,664 1 Claim. (Cl. 206-67) This invention relates to a combination friction lighting match and writing pencil.

Heretofore it was customary to carry a pencil in the pocket or *bag or other container to have it ready for use when needed to make a written memorandum. Such pencils were round and necessarily small with a sharp point. If placed on a flat supporting surface, they have a tendency to roll out of sight. They also injure the fingers of the person looking for them and discolor other objects in a pocket or bag or the like.

Furthermore, small pencils exhibit almost human perversity at times when they are most needed. They are easily lost or mislaid, unless carried in a separate container for the purpose or unless clipped on the edge of a patch pocket, and even in such cases, they are likely not to be found in the places where they are required when their use is desired. Anyone who has attempted to find a small pencil when it is not clipped onto a pocket or the like will readily appreciate the need to keep such pencils in sight and handy for use, and the social necessity of their accessibility. Exactly how great is the toll in lost time, lost motion, lost tempers and lost friends consequent upon the perversity of small pencils at bridge parties, games such as golf and baseball, business conferences, telephone booths and informal social gatherings and the like where pencils are needed, only statistical research would disclose. It is an inference from common experience, however, that the toll is great, and many persons have longed for a simple, easy and dependable solution of the problem.

This invention is a solution of the above problem. It is founded on the well-known fact, apparently unrelated to the problem, that most people are smokers, and that the object most commonly present upon occasions when a pencil is needed but missing is a package of friction matches. The very presence, however, of a match serves to mock, however, and usually only multiplies the problem as the substance on the match will not write.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a package of friction matches wherein the individual matches serve both for lighting purposes and for writing purposes.

One of the first requisites for such a package is cheapness of manufacture. This invention is available for use in connection with the manufacture of packages of friction matches popularly known as paper matches and requires an addition to manufacturing costs of a sum so small as to be practically negligible, but nevertheless adds greatly to the value and convenience of the packet of matches in actual use.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a package of devices each serving as either a friction match or a pencil as needed and each being readily detachable and highly efficient in use.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a package of combined friction matches and Patented .Mar. 30, 1965 pencils embodying one form of my invention, in open condition, one being shown partly broken away.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1, on an enlarged scale.

FIG. 3 is a top perspective view showing a combined match and pencil in use.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 of a modified form of combined match and pencil.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of a package of combined friction matches and pencils embodying another modified form of the invention, parts being shown broken away.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one of the combined matches and pencils of FIG. 5 removed from the package and ready for use.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of a stack of combined friction matches and pencils removed from the cover of the package, embodying still another modified form of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 6 of one of the combined matches and pencils of FIG. 7.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a package of combined frictional matches and pencils embodying one form of the invention is shown and designated generally at it). The package includes a wrap-around cover 12 of paper or the like. The cover includes a back panel 14, front panel =16, narrow top panel 18, bottom panel 20 and short front panel section 22. The outer surface of the front panel section is coated with a substance 24 for striking the matches.

Two rows of fiat paper or wood sticks 26 are arranged one behind the other and formed integrally or of one piece at their bottom ends as indicated at 28. At the same time, each row of match sticks is provided with a transverse weakened line 30 at the base of the sticks to permit the sticks to be torn off of the base as shown in FIG. 1. The front panel 16 serves as a flap and is adapted to be tucked in behind the front panel section and between the base of the sticks and the front panel section 22. The bottom ends 28, bottom of the rear panel and the front panel section 2.2 are fastened together by a staple 32.

In accordance with the present invention, the tip of each stick 26 is covered with a thick bulb or coating of a substance which takes fire easily and is easily ignited by friction, such as phosphorus 34. Furthermore, according to the invention, on the top surface of the phosphorus bulb and downwardly along the side surfaces thereof, a thin coating of a substance adapted to make a trace or mark on a paper, such as graphite 35 is spread thereover, form ing the outer writing surface thereof. A combined match and pencil device is thus obtained. By merely tearing off a stick 26 from the package as shown in FIG. 1, a ti k adapted to be grasped between the fingers of the hand as shown in FIG. 6 is obtained, the stick serving as a handle for writing or printing matter as indicated at 36 in FIG. 3. The writing or printing is done with a very light pressure. If the stick is desired for use to light a cigarette or the like or in making a fire, heavy pressure is exerted on the tip of the stick until the outer surface of graphite is worn away and the layer of phosphorus becomes exposed, and further rubbing will cause the phosphorus to ignite for any desired purpose.

Furthermore, in practicing the invention, in accordance with a further modification thereof, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, instead of applying a coating of graphite to the surface of the phosphorus preparation at the tip, the base of the stick 26 is coated on both sides with a thin layer of graphite 35 and the severance line 38 given a triangular shape so that when the stick is severed from the base the bottom of the stick will have a triangular shape and be coated on both sides with graphite. This provides a pointed pencil 26' as shown in FIG. 6 for writing or printing as desired in addition to the friction match.

In FIGS. 7 to 9, inclusive, a further modified form of the invention is shown. This form differs from the form of FIGS. 5 and 6 in that a thin layer of graphite 35" is coated across the base of the sticks 26" on both sides and the severance line 40 is cut at an angle across the layer. When the stick is torn off or severed a coating of graphite 35" will adhere to the bottom angular pointed end thereof on both sides thereof. A combined friction match and writing pencil with elongated pointed end is produced.

It will be seen that by coating the friction matches at various places such as the phosphorus tip and the base of the stick, with a thin layer of graphite, combined friction matches and writing pencils are produced, that are protected by a cover, ready for use, in flatwise condition so that they cannot roll.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

I claim:

A package as described herein comprising an elongated rectangular wrap-around cover, a plurality of rows of flat paper sticks fastened at their bottom ends to the inner surface of the cover at one end thereof, a coating of graphite across the bottom fastened ends of the sticks, and severance lines in triangular shape across the graphite coatings and the bottom ends of the sticks whereby the sticks may be severed and the sticks used as marking elements for marking an a marking surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,558,201 Weston June 26, 1951 

